About Me

I am the former General Counsel of both the Air Force and the United States Army, and a former elected official. I have two blogs--A Guy in the Pew (focused on matters of faith, with some politics and science thrown in for good measure, and A Guy in the World (focused on national security issues). I hope you enjoy both.

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

After months of waiting, I can finally announce the reason why I have stopped blogging:

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State; Charles A. Hurley, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation; Robert O. Work, Under Secretary of the Navy, Department of the Navy, Department of Defense; and Charles A. Blanchard, General Counsel, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense.

President Obama said, “I am confident that the skill and dedication these individuals bring to their roles will serve the American people well as we work to keep our nation safe at home and abroad. I am grateful that they have chosen to serve and look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:

. . .

Charles A. Blanchard, Nominee for General Counsel, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense

Charles Blanchard is a litigation partner in the Phoenix, AZ office of Perkins Coie. During the Clinton administration, he served as the General Counsel of the U.S. Army (1999 - 2001) and Chief Counsel of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (1997 - 1999). Before assuming in those positions, he practiced law at Brown & Bain, P.A. (1988 - 1997) and served as Arizona State Senator (1991 - 1995). He also previously served as Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel James McKay (1987 - 1988). Mr. Blanchard has clerked for Judge Harry T. Edwards on the DC Circuit and for Justice O'Connor. He is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Law School.

I really enjoyed blogging here--and expecially the virtual friends I met on the way (many of whom live near Washington, D.C. and so who I can now soon meet in the flesh if the Senate confirms my nomination).

Monday, January 19, 2009

You might have noticed that I have not blogged since the election. I have my reasons (and hope to explain those reasons soon), but I think that I can safely blog about a new movie Taking Chance that will be aired on HBO next month. It is a movie based on a blog post, and it should make for some compelling television. The trailer is above.

The military blog, BlACKFIVE explains:

Four and a half years ago, I was asked to post "Taking Chance" by LtCol Michael Strobl. It evoked one of the strongest reactions on BlackFive that I have seen since starting the blog in mid-2003. The story also gave me the honor to get to know some of the friends and family and Marine brothers of Chance.